Air cleaner



March 30 1926.

- 1,578,611 A. M. SANBORN 1 AIR CLEANER Filed .April 14, 1925 INVENTOR..

- 6A TTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 30, 1926.

AUGUSTUS M. SANBORN, OF PORTERVILLE, CALIFORNIA.

AIR CLEANER.

Application filed April 14, 1925. Serial No. 22,995.

To all whom it mtg concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS M. SAN- v norm, citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Porterville, county of Tulare, State of California,have invented new and useful Improvements in Air Cleaners, of which thefollowing is a specification." a 1 My invention has fol-its object meansand method for removing dust and other foreign particles from air to bemixed with gasoline, or from other suitable hydro-carbon mixtures,preparatory to use in internal explosive engines.

Other objects will appear from the drawings and specification whichfollow.

These objects I accomplish by removing the foreign particles from theair in transit by causing them to adhere to or be absorbed by liquidfilms. I

The liquid films are continually renewed and in that way provide freshair contacting Surfaces from which the passing air abstracts more orless of the liquid particles.

The clean air which will carry liquid particles from its passagethrough'the screens is now given a circular motion so that the entrainedparticles of liquid are thrown outward by centrifugal force andcollected and then preferabl liquid from w ich the renewing films areproduced.

By referring to the accompan ing drawing my invention will be made 0ear.

In the drawing:

I Fig. 1 indicates in longitudinal cross-section of one form ofapparatus employing my invention.

Fig. 2 isa partial cross-sectionand side view of the application of theapparatus of my invention to a motor vehicle.

ig. 3 is a front view of the apparatus of Fig. 1. 5

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary front view of one of the screens employed inFig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a cross section through a portion of Fig. 1 on the line VVthereof.

Throughout the figures similar numerals refer to i ntical arts.

A casing is in mated by the numeral 1, whose rear portion mayadvantageously be formed as a portion of the centrifugal draft box 2.

At 3 is a shaft rotated by conventional gears 4 and 5gconnecting spindle6 and worm and worm wheel 7, from the fan 8 carried on the shaft 9.

returned to the body of An inlet opening is provided with a screen 10whereby air that passes the fan 8 in the direction of the arrow 11enters the casing after being strained of larger particles.

At 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 are a plurality of screen members preferably ofwire mesh. Each of these is mounted upon a suitable hub, one of which isshown at 17, and carried upon the shaft 3,

The shaft 3 is supported in bearings 18. 19 and the lower portion ofthe'casing is adapted to contain a body of oil or other suitable liquid20.

The lower portions of the screen dip into this liquid and as the screensrotate their upper portions are kept continually wetted with the liquid20.

At 21 is a discharge port from the body of the container 1 by which theclarified air is conveyed in the direction of the arrow 22 into thecentrifugal chamber 2. It is now 1 whirled as indicated 'by the arrows23, 24

during which the centrifugal force of the heavier particles of liquid,which have been entrained in the clarified air, are thrown outwardagainst the Walls of the centrifugal chamber 2 and there collect indrops and descend through the neck in the direction of the arrow 25 andthrough the opening 26 are restored to the liquid body.

The clarified air following the path of the arrow 27 now enters thethroat member 28 and through suitable connections passes into thecarburetor inlet 29 of the'motor vehicle 30.

The action-is as follows:

The motor vehicle 30 traveling in the direction 31 establishes an aircurrent against the fan 8 causing the fan to rotate and through theshaft 9, worm and worm wheel 7 connecting shaft 6, ears 4 and 5communicates a rotative m vement to the shaft 3; and I have found thatit is preferable to have this rate of rotation much slower than therotation of the fan.

There is also, of course, a current of air set up by the suction of theengine drawing the air through the carburetor and therefore through thescreen 10. This suction also causes the rotation of the fan 8 andtherefore of the discs so that the rotation of the discs are insuredunder any condi-.

- is exposed to the surface action of liquid from the engine orOtherwise without de parting from the spirit of my invention.

lVhile I have shown inthe drawing an oil I body 20 with a portion of thediscs exposed thereabove, between the hubs and the oil surface it may insome cases be advantageous to employ a higher liquid level or a largerdiameter hub so as to insure a. complete wetting of the entire disc upto the hub line during its emersion in the liquid body although in mostinstances, especially when a viscous fluid is employed, I have foundthat the rotation of the discs carries a large volume of the liquidupward and about the outer portions and that as the disc rotates the Howdownward of this liquid completely coversthe entire screen down to andincluding the hub portions thus insuring completehaving a lower portionadapted to contain ly wetted screens at all times;

If a Very slow rotation is employed this is less effective and theperforated portions of the screens should dip fully into the liquid 20.

The conventional gear connections are designed for this purpose to suitthe requirements in any particular case.

The air passes the fan 8, enters through the' relatively coarse screen10 and thence successively through the upper portions of the wettedscreen discs 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 whereby every particle of the flowingair films on the screen mesh and adjacent'walls, the screens preferablybeing of a. diameter but veryslightly less than the internal diameter oftheupper portion of the container 1. These liquid films abstract thedust and dirt particles.

jinlet 21 it will have been cleaned of all its entrained dust and dirtbut will, during its passage,- have picked up. liquid particles whichwill be carried by the stream of air in the direction of the arrow 22and centrifugally' whirled within the chamber 2 during which actionthevliquid particles will be thrown off on the walls of the chamber 2and will collect and descend in the direction of the arrow 25 throughthe outlet. 26 back into the original liquid body 20.

T he cleaned air, now freed from its liquid particles passes into thethroat 28 in the direction of the arrow 27 and thence to the internalexplosive engine I claim:

1. An air cleaner comprising a chamber a. liquid, a plurality of discshaving small perforations mounted on a shaft and adapted to rotatewithin'and in close proximity to the upper portion of said chamber,means for rotating said discs whereby their upper rtions are continuallly retained wetted by said liquid, an inlet to said chamber for airthat passes through said wetted portions, an

annular receiver having a substantially tangential entering passage forsaid air ,acentral outlet for said air anda passage from said receiverinto said lower portion of said chamber.

2. An air cleaner as set forth inclaim 1 wherein a fan is positionedwithin the path of entering air and actuates said means for rotatingsaid discs.

AUGUSTUS M. sANB'o'RNQ

